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Herbert Sobel
Commander Herbert Sobel was a Human officer of the UNSC Navy. He was the commanding officer of the UNSC corvette Exeter. Sobel had a reputation among his ship as a person who could get the job he wanted done, but he was also seen as a cold individual who cared more for the functionality of the ship over the individual concerns of the crew. His capability in combat was not questioned, even considering the size of the Exeter. Though capable of flying his ship and knowledgable in terms of three dimensional battles, Sobel was not as skilled in terms of ground battles, instead leaving those aspects covered by other officers on his ship. Biography Herbert Sobel was born on the Outer Colony world of Gleeside in the small isolated town of Downey's Marsh. Herbert grew up with very little in terms of high education. From the age of five to fourteen, Herbert was homeshcooled by his mother and older brother. His father worked long hours on the community farm as a general laborer, which was a common profession in town. At 14, his family saved enough money for him to attend formal education, which he excelled at. Upon graduation from High School, Herbert applied for multiple bursuries and scholarships offworld. He knew that he didn't want to grow up on a farm the rest of his life. After his acceptance into the Interplanetary University of North Orion, Herbert made the plans to leave Gleeside forever. However, even after he left the planet, he would keep in constant contact with his family, relating tales of his travels. Growing up in the Outer Colonies sowed a sort of distrust for other races, particularly due to the old stories of the Covenant War that still showed up every now and again. The Interplanetary University didn't do well to reassure him of his beliefs. The school was very multicultural, being a private institution that allowed mostly any race into its gates. For five years, Herbet studied history alongside Gallvente, Unggoy, and even young Sangheili that sought a different life. The deep set prejudices did not leave Herbert easily throughout his tenure at the University. He excelled in Ancient Earth History, Modern Interplanetary History, Military History, and Theoretical Mathematics. After finishing his studies, Herbert knew that he never wanted to go back to Gleeside. His choice to join the UNSC Navy seemed one of necessity for Sobel. He enlisted in the Navy as an Officer Candidate at OCS Luna, a highly prestigeous military academy on Earth's Moon. It would be the first time that Sobel would see Humanity's homeworld, even if at a distance. Sobel graduated quickly, showing aptitude for commanding vessels in three dimensional battlefields, but the Navy decided that his talents were better suited on smaller vessels. Since that day, Herbert Sobel was placed in charge of the Exeter. ''For nearly ten years at the helm, Sobel felt that his talents were wasted in such a small ship. He wanted to be part of the bigger picture instead of skirting the sidelines in what he felt was an insult to the capability people always saw in him. However, the Navy refused his requests to be moved to a larger ship. Sobel believed that the Navy turned its back on him, but he wouldn't turn his back on his ship. It was all that he had left. In 3234, Sobel was tasked with something that he was not quite ready for: a diplomatic escort mission. Sobel was confused when he recieved his mission. Herbert was told that a new race of Human offshots was discovered by the name of Mobians. One of them, a princess, was to be placed aboard his ship and he was to bring her anywhere she desired. Sobel's preudices against non-Humans did not settle over time, and he was adjgitated to pander to aliens. On October 12th, 3234, Sobel welcomed Sally Acorn aboard the ''Exeter at L5 Orbit. From there, they departed Earth to Brunaji, a habitable tidally locked world orbiting Alpha Cygni. The Exeter remained here for a few days before Sobel recieved a distress call from a UNSC Marine team on the planet Hyperia, which wasn't too far from Deneb, easily within a jump or two. After recalling Acorn from the surface, Sobel commanded the ship to jump to Hyperia, which the Exeter reached on October 27th. Upon learning that Doctor Julian Kintobor's robots were present on the surface and were striking a friendly village on the planet, Sobel snapped to action, commanding his air forces to strike when ready. He was also in communication with ground forces relaying his current position. During the skirmish, another UNSC ship, the California arrived to give support. The two ships entered Hyperia's atmosphere to give fire support to ground units. The battle resulted in a UNSC victory, which showed that Kintobor was collaborating with the Covenant in some way. Some time prior to November 2nd, 3234, Sobel and his crew arrived back at Earth, where he parted ways with Acorn and continued in his duties. Personality Sobel was considered a man who had respect for himself and the role that he performed aboard the Exeter. He knew exactly what his job was and he knew how to perform it well. Though despite this dedication to his ship, he was though of as a cold individual that resented those that put him into this sort of command in the first place. According to Sally Acorn, Sobel was a rude individual, inconsiderate for others, and a racist. While the third point was not a hundred percent clear, Sobel himself has had much prejudice against non-Humans in his past, though has never been totally open about it. In combat, Sobel was a smooth individual who was without fear and could command ships impeccably. Trivia * Sobel was named after the real life United States military commander Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Sobel, the commanding officer of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry in the 101st Airborne in World War II. Sobel himself was considered a fair training officer, but when it came to field operations, Sobel was inept, and was disliked by the men under his command. Commander Sobel is an interesting comparison, being equally cold as the WWII officer was towards their men, but both did their jobs well enough that the men under their command survived their battles. Contrasting the 20th Century Sobel, the naval commander seemed cool headed enough in combat that he was able to outmaneuver larger ships and save ground troops using close fire support. *Sobel remains the only currently revealed corvette commanding officer. List of Appearances *Journal of Sally Acorn (First Appearance) Category:Character Category:Human Category:UNSC Category:Military